alma mater

noun

al·​ma ma·​ter ˌal-mə-ˈmä-tər How to pronounce alma mater (audio)
1
: a school, college, or university which one has attended or from which one has graduated
went to a class reunion at his alma mater
2
: the song or hymn of a school, college, or university
"Hey, Harvard boy, sing your alma mater!" shouted an obnoxious producer.Phil Kloer

Examples of alma mater in a Sentence

I visited my old alma mater last week.
Recent Examples on the Web That includes a 73-71 win over Stanford in Berkeley six weeks ago, giving Cal the opportunity to sweep Madsen’s alma mater for the first time since 2009-10. Harold Gutmann, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 He’s spoken out in support of Israel, demanding the resignation of leaders of his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, over their responses to allegations of antisemitism on campus. Allison McNeely, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024 The standout pitcher from Scotland High School received a scholarship to play for his parents’ alma mater, but his freshman year was dedicated to a recovery that included 22 surgeries, according to ECU and the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Dennis Romero, NBC News, 17 Feb. 2024 And after Vince is invited to speak to high schoolers at his alma mater, a decades-old grudge with the dad of a current student sends his afternoon into life-or-death chaos. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 15 Feb. 2024 As the new head coach of the Bruins, Foster wants to get his alma mater back to that level. Dan Greenspan, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024 Rules for Fake Girlfriends follows Avery Blackwell who, after the death of her mother, attends her mom’s alma mater, Brighton College. Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2024 Check your alma mater for career services offerings open to alumni. Caroline Ceniza-Levine, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 His last contract had a clause that lowered the buyout to $1 million only for Minnesota, his alma mater. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'alma mater.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin, fostering mother

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of alma mater was in 1650

Dictionary Entries Near alma mater

Cite this Entry

“Alma mater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alma%20mater. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

alma mater

noun
al·​ma ma·​ter ˌal-mə-ˈmät-ər How to pronounce alma mater (audio)
: a school, college, or university that one has attended
Etymology

Latin, literally "fostering mother," from almus "nourishing" (from alire "to nourish") and mater "mother" — related to alimentary, maternal

More from Merriam-Webster on alma mater

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